Defibrillators at Work: Can Your Team Handle an Emergency?

Nothing is more frightening than seeing a colleague collapse and not breathing. When this happens, you should know that a few seconds without oxygen can already damage an individual's brain. But having a defibrillator on site can be comforting to help mitigate such disasters while waiting for medical help. 

With the rise of businesses looking into getting defibrillators in the office, you're probably wondering if it's worth having one in your workplace. Of course, the short answer is yes. If you're curious to know more about defibrillators and why your workplace needs them, keep reading.

In this article, we'll dive deeper into the various reasons your company needs, how to prepare your workplace for an emergency, and what you need to know about operating a defibrillator. Let's take a look!

Having a Defibrillator in the Workplace

From 2017 to 2018, Ambulance Victoria reported attending to over 6,434 cardiac arrest patients in Victoria, which is the most cardiac arrest case ever reported. With that, they measured a 7.6 average response time, which is a big length for a patient to not have any medical assistance.

Because of this, it's a good idea to have a defibrillator present in the workplace to ensure that you're providing medical assistance while waiting for the ambulance to arrive. Otherwise, this can damage an individual's brain or worse; it may result in cardiac arrest. Additionally, you'd be surprised to know that with a defibrillator present in the office, you get to improve the chances of survival by up to 70 percent.

What You Need to Consider When Having a Defibrillator in the Office

  • Location: Ensure that your defibrillator is situated in an accessible and visible location. With that, you also need to install clear signage for your colleagues to see.
  • Set-Up: You want to ensure that the device is properly set up for quick access and usage. By doing so, colleagues will be able to activate and use the device if there is an emergency.
  • Training: Before anyone can use a defibrillator, it's important to ensure that as many people in the workplace are present for the demonstration and training. This way, you can help make your colleagues feel comfortable using the device when there's an emergency. 

Preparing Your Workplace for a Medical Emergency

While you can easily have a defibrillator in the workplace, there are some things you need to consider:

  • Ensure that you have the correct amount of staff who are First Aid trained since this is required by Safe Work Australia First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice;
  • You and your colleagues must be willing to perform routine checks on the defibrillator to see if it's working as it should;
  • You must be able to buy replacement pads and batteries every year;
  • Your staff must participate in a CPR refresher course every 12 months;

The Bottom Line: Take the Safety of Your Workplace Up a Notch with a Defibrillator

The growing number of individuals who have experienced cardiac arrest and similar emergencies is incredibly alarming. Because of this, it's only right that you have a defibrillator on-site to ensure that you're providing help while you wait for medical assistance to arrive. By doing this, you get to raise survival to up to 70 percent, which is a significant number anyone can hold on to. 

How Can We Help you?

If you're thinking of ways to improve emergency action in the workplace, it's good to ensure that you have the proper devices, such as a defibrillator, ready for these emergencies. 

Restart The Heart is a trusted defibrillator supplier in Australia. In addition to supplying high-quality defibrillators, we also offer AED pads and batteries, with lightning-fast delivery and impressive customer care. 

Learn more about our products today!

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